Tissues are normally dispensed sequentially from a box of interleaved tissues by means of a conventional dispensing perforation located on the top face of the tissue box or container. As a first tissue is dispensed from such a box of interleaved tissues, a second tissue will be drawn upward by the dispensing action so as to be grasped in the conventional dispensing perforation. The conventional dispensing perforation normally consists of an elliptical or elongated detachable protective tab of any shape made of similar material to the tissue box. The detachable protective tab usually has a taut protective membrane located immediately thereunder which may be manufactured of plastic or other material which has a single longitudinal perforation.
The repetition of the action of replacing the dispensed tissue with a fresh candidate for later dispensation works well when the tissue box is newly opened. The lead flap of the tissue (that portion of the tissue protruding from the tissue box awaiting dispensation) is grasped by the taut protective membrane located within the conventional dispensing perforation leaving the trailing flap of the tissue at least partly interleavingly engaged with the next tissue in the box, so as to draw that next as its replacement.
However as the distance between the top of the tissue box and the top of the pile of interleaved tissues within the box increases as the tissues are consumed, the interleaving engagement of the trailing flap of the fresh tissue with the next tissue becomes less secure. Frequently, dispensation failure occurs and the lead flap of the next tissue falls back into the box without being grasped by the taut protective membrane. This is known as `fall out` failure or `loss of flap` wherein the dispensing flap of the tissue is not extended through the dispensing opening so that no lead flap is readily available for grasping by the user for next dispensing. The common remedy for this situation is for hands or fingers to be inserted in through the dispensing perforation and the taut protective membrane to draw the next fresh tissue out of the box. As expected, such an action ultimately causes some damage to the inherent tension of the protective membrane, further reducing its ability to grasp the leading flap of the fresh tissue, leading to increased `loss of flap` or `fall out` failure. Multiple dispensing of tissues often occurs at this point to wastage.
Attempts by some tissue box manufactures to reduce the distance between the top of the tissue box and the top of the pile of interleaved tissues within the box by means of depressible elevation tabs located in the bottom of the tissue box designed to raise the pile of interleaved tissues within the box during use, have proven largely unsuccessful since dispensation failure due to damage to the taut protective membrane remains an issue.